NYN Media Buzz: Jan. 12, 2018

Five Brooklyns nonprofits made the cut to win the Brooklyn Community Foundation’s annual Spark Prize. Cave Canem Foundation, the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, Exalt Youth, the Red Hook Initiative and GRIOT Circle will each receive $100,000 in recognition of their work throughout the borough. GRIOT Circle Executive Director Jose Albino recently shared the nonprofit’s experience in targeting a niche demographic, such as elderly LGBT people, in last week’s episode of the NYN Media Insights podcast.

The New York State Employment First Commission announced yesterday that more resources will be created to increase employment among disabled people. A webinar on Jan. 16 will explain to professionals who work with this population a new program called “Employment First Benefits Advisory System.” A more detailed webinar is scheduled for Jan. 30.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced yesterday progress in a battle against clothing donation bins with ambiguous relations to charity. More than 4,700 of these collection bins now disclose whether or not donated items will be used for charitable purposes, according to a press release. This follows a 2016 law that requires such signage as well as contact information for the owner of the bin, among other requirements. Schneiderman’s office reached a $700,000 settlement  in 2015 with one notorious owner, Thrift Land USA of Yonkers, which had masqueraded as a charity.

The New York State Department of Health wants community-based organizations to fill out a new survey. The goal is to assess how CBOs are addressing social determinants of health and gauge organizations’ integration with the state’s Value Based Payment program. The department intends for this to become an annual survey.